By Nils Skudra This week I had the opportunity to watch “I Can”, a faith-based film based on the true story of Katelyn Pavey, a young girl born with only one fully formed arm who pursues her passion for softball in the face of adversity, with the encouragement of her parents. As a disabi…

A Short Blurb about African American Blues and Rock n’ Roll Artists: John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry For Black History Month By Austin John Jones Running away from home from a family of sharecroppers must be a pretty traumatizing thing. Well, it was the choice John Lee Hooker made to make…

Judy Heumann passed away on March 4, 2023, at the age of 75. Throughout the disability community, she has left an enduring legacy as a passionate advocate of disability rights who played an influential role in the development and passage of critical pieces of disability legislation. By Nils Skudra A…

Artist Ryan Smoluk shares his process of learning and painting about Mozart this last year. Cover image: Ryan Smoluk “Ode to Mozart” By Ryan Smoluk So much has changed in the past couple of year on a global level. The pandemic caught us all off guard, so many are still struggling. We ar…

“Many churches attempt to make accommodations for individuals with disabilities that does not necessarily mean that people with disabilities are included in the life and community of the church and leadership.” Krysia Waldock By Ron Sandison I was excited to interview Krysia Waldock, a P…

The Art of Autism mourns the loss of Lois Curtis in November 2022. Lois Curtis was an African American artist with intellectual and developmental disabilities and schizophrenia. Curtis paved the way for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to get out of institutional settings and…

My name is Matteo Esposito. I’m am a playwright with autism. I live in a beautiful country called Canada and am the oldest of 4 children. My theatre journey started many moons ago with a show called the jersey boys. I was enthralled by the first time I saw it and I loved every minute of it. At…

“As a public representative I will speak very loudly for our most vulnerable people with mental/physical disabilities and our seniors in our community.” Ashan Fernando By Ron Sandison Editor’s Note: This is an informative article. The Art of Autism nonprofit does not endorse s…

I Can See You by Gregory Lawrence There is that man again. At the pub last night, he had mostly been throwing furtive glances at me when he thought I wasn’t looking. Now he’s at the end of my tram carriage. Craning his neck, as though he does not care about how conspicuous he is being in front of al…

By Ryan Smoluk All Without Words As a self-advocate for autism awareness and a visual artist, I was so excited when this project came my way. It allowed me to create art that represents neurodiversity. I was free to create whatever images that flowed into my imagination. There were no boundaries. Cr…

In celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, J.A. Tan is sharing these new works with viewers of the Art of Autism. By J.A. Tan “Work in Progress” series, 2022 I am working on this series that shows the many differences between and among people and the environment. I use different shapes to represent…

Kennedy Nganga is a disabled artist from the town of Mombasa in Kenya (East Africa). The Art of Autism became aware of him through his posts on his Facebook page. Nganga is a quadriplegic due to a diving accident in a swimming pool at age 16 back in 1992. He has no grip in his fingers, yet is able…

By Steve Staniek We had retired from the constant noise of the big city to a quiet place in the country we called High Reach, where we learned that we were to become grandparents for the first time. Our son’s growing family would need more space during weekend visits, and it was time to finish the …

October is National Disability History Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Richard Pimentel was one of the first disability activists to work with United States government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in diversity training and providing employment for people with disabili…